Epic out of Port Canaveral - Nov 12 short review

[ugagal07]

We (myself, DH, DS 3.5, DD 1.5) were booked in a Haven 2 bedroom suite. We traveled with 5 others, not in the Haven. This was our first NCL cruise, but we are Platinum with Carnival, so not new to cruising.

 

I have the Dailies and will scan those in at work tomorrow to post here if someone hasn't by then.

 

Arrival:

-NCL found out Friday that Terminal 10 wouldn't be ready. Was an email sent, no. We signs posted at Terminal 1, no. Was it a disaster, YES!

-We arrived at 9:15, and circled for 10 minutes trying to find parking since it wasn't marked at the ramp going to the parking deck was blocked off. Finally went to drop off our luggage and the porter told us to park at Terminal 10 and we'd get bused back, ok. Fine. We pay to park and park. Then we sit on the charter bus for 20 minutes because it couldn't leave until it was at least 75% full. We ride the mile down the road and wait in line at commercial drop off. A huge disaster. In total, we sat on the bus 50 minutes.

-Went to check in, our boarding pass said HAVEN on it, but no one told the shore reps that meant priority. At security, after discussing it with two men, one said go to that line but if they send you back over here where you're supposed to be, don't blame me. We get through security in record time since no one is in the priority line.

-Go to check in and get our cards. Again, sent to the wrong place, twice. They finally put the Haven sign/banner thing up and I said we belong there. I was the first person checked in in the Haven section. The lady didn't know how to input birth certificates or credit cards. 50 minutes later, after I went to sit and wait while she got help, we were checked in. Cards arrived later and it was a mob scene trying to get key cards. The waiting area was nice with snacks though so my kids weren't totally nuts.

-Allowed on board at 12:15, we were within the first 10 people on board.

-So 3 hours to get through it all. While not terrible and I wasn't expecting to board immediately when we arrived at 9:15, the ineptitude of the shore staff was disgraceful. There was no communication from NCL about the terminal change or parking and no training for the shore staff it seemed.

 

On board:

-We were taken straight to the Haven and given a tour. BEAUTIFUL! Went down to lunch in the buffet since everyone was starving and waited for our cabin to be ready.

-Buffet thoughts: LARGE, huge plus. But it wasn't the same items on each side so you had to roam around a lot to get what you wanted. Also, not everything was open each meal, it was hit or miss, or look on the other side.

 

More to come later.

[hhalliv]

Heard a lot of issues about the Terminal 1 debacle. Thanks for taking the time to post the dailies!

[samiam0403]

Will be following along - cruising on Epic out of PC in January. I've noticed my cruise docs state Terminal 5. :confused: Thanks for the heads up to double and triple check on this as January approaches. Looking forward to reading more! :)

[ugagal07]

-We had Ven as our steward, Jorge as our butler, and David as our concierge. We were greeted by name, kids too, by Saturday evening.

-The room could not have been better. We upgraded a few weeks out after hearing stories about kids in the Epic balcony room, and we got a great deal. It was worth so worth it! The 2nd bedroom would be too small for 2 adults, but was perfect for our two kids.

-We had pre-booked what we could online before boarding, but needed to make changes since other we were cruising with had to make some adjustments. Without the concierge, we would have never gotten what we needed taken care of. Everything was booked up by 7:00 Saturday evening.

-The sliding door to the master bedroom rattles at sea, use the vanity stool to push it shut so it doesn't rattle at night

-There are temperature controls for the master, living area, and second bedroom. Be sure to adjust all 3

-Loved the bar, restaurant, and grill. Service was always top notch and the crew went out of their way to take care of the kids' needs as well. Like bringing little things out at dinner for them to try, offering 'not the correct/proper size' silverware to them, smiling and making them laugh.

-Both bars made drink to order. No pre-made crap like on the pool deck which came from beverage dispensers. Much better taste!

-The decor in the Haven area was lovely and very nice.

 

Bottom line: This made the cruise for us. We had space for all 9 in our group to be together. We had a separate sleeping space (that was dark) for the kids. We didn't have the weird bathroom set up. Also loved going down to the bar and grabbing drinks to bring up.

[tbae]

Thanks for the tips about the Haven master bedroom door and temperature controlling all the rooms individually. We are going to be in the same kind of room - 17031 (H4) on Dec. 10, just my husband and me. Any other tips for us?What is the current color scheme (the rooms may vary, but just curious) You shared that your friends were not in the Haven? My parents are joining us--but in a mini suite (which is not in the Haven) - I know they can come to our room, but are not allowed in the other haven areas--and we would never break those rules. But my questions is--did you find that the separation was ever inconvenient? I am mulling over whether to secretly upgrade them...at the risk of annoying my Dad--who doesn't like a deviation in his plans---but..

Any other thoughts you would be willing to share would be great.

:) Kind thanks and a smile to you! --Traci

[ugagal07]

We had the 3 meal package. Here is what we thought of each venue:

 

Manhattan Room:

-We went here on embarkation day. We had a 5:30 reservation for 9. Showed up at 5:25, but the doors were shut. Finally opened the doors at 5:35, the line was wrapped around the casino bar on both sides by this point. It was a DISASTER. No one knew if the line was for reservations or walk ups. Finally got seated by 6:15...

-Went down to Taste to see if that was any faster. There was no line, but were told it would be a 15-20 minute wait for a group our size. Not helpful and slightly rude.

-Service was EXTREMELY slow.

-Not everything that was ordered was delivered. This was a VERY common theme...

-Food was ok, not amazing by any means

-Did not return after that disaster.

 

Taste:

-Went here for lunch on a sea day. Seated right away with a party of 9.

-Service was SLOW.

-Again, all items ordered did not arrive

-Food was good, but not everything was served at the correct temperature. I assume because we had a large group and somethings were plated before others.

 

O'Sheehans:

-Went for lunch and after dinner dessert

-Very loud

-Hostess stand is across from the bar in the main walkway, so hard to tell who is in line and who is just hanging out

-Fills up FAST

-Food was good, but again not everything ordered came out

-Super slow service again

-Brownie cheesecake was very good though. :)

 

La Cucina:

-No problems seating 9 on time with our reservation

-Food was very good

-Seemed that they overbooked as they were bringing tables down from the buffet to put people in. VERY crowded

-The entry to La Cucina is at the back of the buffet, hard to find if you don't know it

 

Cagneys:

-SLOW service. I gave up waiting for a drink order to be taken and walked to the bar instead.

-Again, not everything ordered was delivered.

-Food was excellent

-Beet and goat cheese napoleon was outstanding as was the tuna

 

 

Tepanyaki:

-The grills each seat 8, but they made 9 work with a highchair. Though it took a while to get one.

-Food was good. Show was ok, it depends on the chef you get I think, other tables seemed to be a little more entertaining.

 

Epic Grill:

-Limited menu for lunch

-Delicious food

-Great views

 

Epic Club:

-Best food we had on the cruise, hands down

-Short ribs, scallops, filet, beet salad were tops here but nothing disappointed

 

Buffet:

-LARGE

-Good seating lay out, good mix of large and small tables

-Love the silverware on the table, so you don't carry it around

-Lots of options, you just had to explore to find them. The sides of the buffet are not symmetrical, they do not have the same things. Be sure you walk all the way around...

-Enjoyed the crepe station, create your own pasta station, featured salad station, and the 'kids area'

-Disappointed in salad bar toppings and lay out. Who puts 3 kinds of lettuce spread out on the bar, one was at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end

 

Others traveling with us ate at Le Bistro. That was a 3 hour dining experience, but they said it was amazing.

[ugagal07]

tbae:

 

-We entertained in our room. We traveled with my elderly grandparents-in-law, so it was nice to have a place for everyone to just be. All 4 generations. The cordless phone that comes with the room was also nice to keep in touch with everyone. We were easy to find.

-We did talk to the concierge & matre d. We brought 3 of the other 5 to dinner with us one night, but that was approved ahead of time. Two had a dining credit they accepted and one was going to be a $30 charge, but we were never billed.

-The color scheme is more muted than the red you see in a lot of pictures. Grey/beige/white/brown with some red accents. Be prepared for the red lights above the bed though...

-We also liked the lighting options, 8 different settings. Play around and see what you like the best. The toilet light is motion detected though.

-We were in 17021, so not a long walk down the hall. You shouldn't have one in your room either

-Be ready for snacks at 5:00. And by snacks I mean a small meal even. We had sandwiches, canape, cookies, chocolates, fruit, etc. We had our mini-fridge emptied to keep some items for the next day

-If you like a certain tea or coffee, ask your butler and he will only put those in your room.

-Your bath products will be replenished each day, so if you forget something don't go buy it. It is Bvlgari and very nice.

Edited November 20, 2016 by ugagal07
direct post at someone

[tbae]

Wonderful advice and information--THANK YOU! :-) The muted colors sound nicer than what I was seeing. I had not thought of entertaining in the room--I will add that into my plans.It all sounds WONDERFUL--and I cannot wait, just a few more weeks for us. Cheers!

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review.

[ugagal07]

Will be following along - cruising on Epic out of PC in January. I've noticed my cruise docs state Terminal 5. :confused: Thanks for the heads up to double and triple check on this as January approaches. Looking forward to reading more! :)

 

You should leave out of Terminal 10. It is newly renovated just for NCL. That is where we docked yesterday and the new passengers were boarding from. It was supposed to be ready for us, but wasn't and NCL didn't let anyone know.

[ugagal07]

Overall, the Dailies look full, but it's a lot of trivia, bingo, and art auctions. What everyone seems to be going with now... :(

 

-Bowling is $5. DS loved watching it but they said he was too short to bowl.

-Arcade is $$$. Think at least $1 per game and you may win 2-5 tickets. Cheapest ticket redemption is 25. However the ticket machine is broken, so you must go between 6pm-10pm to redeem them...

-Rock climbing wall - who knows... It was never open. They only open it in the afternoon/evenings and when at sea they said the 'weather' and 'seas' were hazardous. Ok, we will go while in port. Nope! Closed while in port due to lack of interest. It wasn't even scheduled, so how they knew lack of interest I'll never know.

-Water slides- same as rock climbing though they were open more frequently, but not a lot. Fun slides. All have a minimum height of 42".

-Kid's Splash Park - who knows... This one was the worst. It was set up to be mini-golf in a splash pad. My kids saw it and wanted to play in Port Canaveral but I said later. They finally got in for 20 minutes in Nassau, the last day, after I went to guest services 4 times about it. Poor design and poor upkeep.

-Casino - Not great odds, but what do you expect. But you cannot walk through the ship without walking through it. Not great with kids who see all the pretty colors, lights, and sounds of the slots and can't play... Poor design

-Cigar Lounge- DH likes a cigar on the cruise and playing golf. He went but couldn't stay to finish his cigar due to the cigarette smoke. Said it was too overpowering and too many people to make it a 'lounge feel'

-Burn the Floor & Priscilla - Great. Concierge got us in and we sat front row. The concierge will arrange seating for everyone in your party, Haven or not, so you can sit together. Worth it.

-Other people made comedy shows, I stayed in with the kids. They said they were entertaining

-Splash Academy - My DS liked it so-so. DD was in the Guppies, under 3, and enjoyed playing with their toys. We went to a few classes, which were pretty good, just not opportune times.

-Chairs around the pool - Lots of saving that I saw. We didn't go to the main pool

-Posh - Lovely! Great chairs. Great bar service. Relaxing.

-Haven Pool area - Amazing. Not crowded. Two hot tubs, variety of chairs.

 

Speaking of time... The ship changes time twice. There was a lot of confusion of when it was supposed to change back with some ship systems changing and others not. I hated the changing times, really messes with your internal schedule for 3 days. Why not say "ship time is (blank) and shore time is (blank). keep up with it or get left!"

[domi411]

We had the 3 meal package. Here is what we thought of each venue:

 

Manhattan Room:

-We went here on embarkation day. We had a 5:30 reservation for 9. Showed up at 5:25, but the doors were shut. Finally opened the doors at 5:35, the line was wrapped around the casino bar on both sides by this point. It was a DISASTER. No one knew if the line was for reservations or walk ups. Finally got seated by 6:15...

-Went down to Taste to see if that was any faster. There was no line, but were told it would be a 15-20 minute wait for a group our size. Not helpful and slightly rude.

-Service was EXTREMELY slow.

-Not everything that was ordered was delivered. This was a VERY common theme...

-Food was ok, not amazing by any means

-Did not return after that disaster.

 

Taste:

-Went here for lunch on a sea day. Seated right away with a party of 9.

-Service was SLOW.

-Again, all items ordered did not arrive

-Food was good, but not everything was served at the correct temperature. I assume because we had a large group and somethings were plated before others.

 

O'Sheehans:

-Went for lunch and after dinner dessert

-Very loud

-Hostess stand is across from the bar in the main walkway, so hard to tell who is in line and who is just hanging out

-Fills up FAST

-Food was good, but again not everything ordered came out

-Super slow service again

-Brownie cheesecake was very good though. :)

 

La Cucina:

-No problems seating 9 on time with our reservation

-Food was very good

-Seemed that they overbooked as they were bringing tables down from the buffet to put people in. VERY crowded

-The entry to La Cucina is at the back of the buffet, hard to find if you don't know it

 

Cagneys:

-SLOW service. I gave up waiting for a drink order to be taken and walked to the bar instead.

-Again, not everything ordered was delivered.

-Food was excellent

-Beet and goat cheese napoleon was outstanding as was the tuna

 

 

Tepanyaki:

-The grills each seat 8, but they made 9 work with a highchair. Though it took a while to get one.

-Food was good. Show was ok, it depends on the chef you get I think, other tables seemed to be a little more entertaining.

 

Epic Grill:

-Limited menu for lunch

-Delicious food

-Great views

 

Epic Club:

-Best food we had on the cruise, hands down

-Short ribs, scallops, filet, beet salad were tops here but nothing disappointed

 

Buffet:

-LARGE

-Good seating lay out, good mix of large and small tables

-Love the silverware on the table, so you don't carry it around

-Lots of options, you just had to explore to find them. The sides of the buffet are not symmetrical, they do not have the same things. Be sure you walk all the way around...

-Enjoyed the crepe station, create your own pasta station, featured salad station, and the 'kids area'

-Disappointed in salad bar toppings and lay out. Who puts 3 kinds of lettuce spread out on the bar, one was at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end

 

Others traveling with us ate at Le Bistro. That was a 3 hour dining experience, but they said it was amazing.

 

What is epic club and epic grill?

[tombec1]

What is epic club and epic grill?

 

It's in the Haven area.

[ugagal07]

The last day was a DISASTER.

Though, honestly I expected it. Check in was horrible, we left late, we were late to EVERY port, service was slow, why would debarkation be any different?

 

Those with carry off luggage were supposed to get off at 7:30 with others starting around 8. There were no announcements really and no one anywhere to guide or help people so it was mass chaos. We had escorted debarkation from the Haven, but even that was interesting, read late...

 

We went to wait with everyone else in the lounge as luggage still hadn't been cleared through customs at 8:30. When we finally get escorted off, we go between the lines that stretch literally the length of deck 7 and are led through a crew area to put us in line where our cards would be scanned for the last time. Then we wait in line for customs. And by wait I mean 30+ minutes, in line, moving very slowly.

 

When we get down the ramps to collect our luggage, we find that the gold and yellow tags are on the OPPOSITE side of the building. Meaning we have to get out of line, go find out bags, and then figure out how to get back in line. Someone stupid came up with this lay out. Porters were standing by saying no waiting, so we went with it. We got our luggage and then got in a porter line for customs. Zoom in and zoom out. Customs didn't even look at our declaration form. Tip the porter at the curb and DH is off to get the car. We had hoped to be off by 8:15, we were off at 9:20.

 

All in all, this cruise was not what I thought it would be. I had heard great things about NCL, and honestly it did not live up to the hype. Did we have fun, yes! Would I book another NCL cruise in the near future, no! People on board and who we were traveling with, who are platinum on many lines including NCL, said this was NOT how NCL is and it's a ship thing. While that may be true, we're platinum on Carnival, and while it has its faults, we've never had the issues we had on this cruise. The whole week felt like hurry up and wait, and wait some more. Hopefully the staff can get it together, though they can't really help some of the design issues on the ship.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the detailed report.

[pooh/tigger]

The last day was a DISASTER.

Though, honestly I expected it. Check in was horrible, we left late, we were late to EVERY port, service was slow, why would debarkation be any different?

 

Those with carry off luggage were supposed to get off at 7:30 with others starting around 8. There were no announcements really and no one anywhere to guide or help people so it was mass chaos. We had escorted debarkation from the Haven, but even that was interesting, read late...

 

We went to wait with everyone else in the lounge as luggage still hadn't been cleared through customs at 8:30. When we finally get escorted off, we go between the lines that stretch literally the length of deck 7 and are led through a crew area to put us in line where our cards would be scanned for the last time. Then we wait in line for customs. And by wait I mean 30+ minutes, in line, moving very slowly.

 

When we get down the ramps to collect our luggage, we find that the gold and yellow tags are on the OPPOSITE side of the building. Meaning we have to get out of line, go find out bags, and then figure out how to get back in line. Someone stupid came up with this lay out. Porters were standing by saying no waiting, so we went with it. We got our luggage and then got in a porter line for customs. Zoom in and zoom out. Customs didn't even look at our declaration form. Tip the porter at the curb and DH is off to get the car. We had hoped to be off by 8:15, we were off at 9:20.

 

All in all, this cruise was not what I thought it would be. I had heard great things about NCL, and honestly it did not live up to the hype. Did we have fun, yes! Would I book another NCL cruise in the near future, no! People on board and who we were traveling with, who are platinum on many lines including NCL, said this was NOT how NCL is and it's a ship thing. While that may be true, we're platinum on Carnival, and while it has its faults, we've never had the issues we had on this cruise. The whole week felt like hurry up and wait, and wait some more. Hopefully the staff can get it together, though they can't really help some of the design issues on the ship.

 

How were the crowds at Spice?

[ugagal07]

How were the crowds at Spice?

 

We didn't go to Spice. My BIL did, he said it was kind of crowded but not bad.

[hbridges2000]

I heard on another post that it was all new crew. They were training a lot of them. Don't know if that's true or not. We leave on her Dec 10th hope they smooth things out.

 

 

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[Zippeedee]

I heard on another post that it was all new crew. They were training a lot of them. Don't know if that's true or not. We leave on her Dec 10th hope they smooth things out.

 

 

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They addressed that at our meet and greet. They never turn over more than a certain number of crew at one time. Some leave and some return every week. We did not have all new crew. I had excellent service everywhere except O'Sheehan's, which does seem to get the newer trainees.

[Kingmaker_inc]

Were you able to scan and post them? I would really appreciate seeing them.

 

Thanks!

[ugagal07]

Were you able to scan and post them? I would really appreciate seeing them.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Someone beat me to it. With menus and things as well.

 

Try this link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2424878

 

If the link doesn't work, search for 2016 Norwegian Epic / Freestyle Daily (Eastern)

[DMH15]

The dailies are already posted in another thread authored by DGP1111.

 

 

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[mnventure]

We (myself, DH, DS 3.5, DD 1.5) were booked in a Haven 2 bedroom suite. We traveled with 5 others, not in the Haven. This was our first NCL cruise, but we are Platinum with Carnival, so not new to cruising.

 

I have the Dailies and will scan those in at work tomorrow to post here if someone hasn't by then.

 

Arrival:

-NCL found out Friday that Terminal 10 wouldn't be ready. Was an email sent, no. We signs posted at Terminal 1, no. Was it a disaster, YES!

-We arrived at 9:15, and circled for 10 minutes trying to find parking since it wasn't marked at the ramp going to the parking deck was blocked off. Finally went to drop off our luggage and the porter told us to park at Terminal 10 and we'd get bused back, ok. Fine. We pay to park and park. Then we sit on the charter bus for 20 minutes because it couldn't leave until it was at least 75% full. We ride the mile down the road and wait in line at commercial drop off. A huge disaster. In total, we sat on the bus 50 minutes.

-Went to check in, our boarding pass said HAVEN on it, but no one told the shore reps that meant priority. At security, after discussing it with two men, one said go to that line but if they send you back over here where you're supposed to be, don't blame me. We get through security in record time since no one is in the priority line.

-Go to check in and get our cards. Again, sent to the wrong place, twice. They finally put the Haven sign/banner thing up and I said we belong there. I was the first person checked in in the Haven section. The lady didn't know how to input birth certificates or credit cards. 50 minutes later, after I went to sit and wait while she got help, we were checked in. Cards arrived later and it was a mob scene trying to get key cards. The waiting area was nice with snacks though so my kids weren't totally nuts.

-Allowed on board at 12:15, we were within the first 10 people on board.

-So 3 hours to get through it all. While not terrible and I wasn't expecting to board immediately when we arrived at 9:15, the ineptitude of the shore staff was disgraceful. There was no communication from NCL about the terminal change or parking and no training for the shore staff it seemed.

 

On board:

-We were taken straight to the Haven and given a tour. BEAUTIFUL! Went down to lunch in the buffet since everyone was starving and waited for our cabin to be ready.

-Buffet thoughts: LARGE, huge plus. But it wasn't the same items on each side so you had to roam around a lot to get what you wanted. Also, not everything was open each meal, it was hit or miss, or look on the other side.

 

More to come later.

 

I think this was the first cruise for this ship/port? Sorry to hear it didn't go well....I hope it's improved by February!

 

PS - the shore staff aren't NCL employees, they work for the port.

[CruisinHarvey]

I had an associate on that first cruise. While he didn't want bad things to happen, he was prepared for it. Booking a cruise that's the first cruise after a TA, in a new port for that ship, when trying to open a new terminal, and a fair amount of crew turnover, is risky at best. If you booked that cruise and expected everything to be normal, you're setting unreasonable expectations. Ports and cruise ships work really well with routine activities. The odds that with all those changes nothing's going to go wrong were slim. That's why we stay away from new ships for a short while. It takes few repetitions before all those activities become routine. You could luck out, but why take the risk? Next time, wait a few weeks. Let all the kinks get ironed out. Then judge.

[SevenWonkas]

-The room could not have been better. We upgraded a few weeks out after hearing stories about kids in the Epic balcony room, and we got a great deal. It was worth so worth it! The 2nd bedroom would be too small for 2 adults, but was perfect for our two kids.

.

 

 

What stories are there about kids in the Epic balcony room? Is it related to the weird bathrooms? (Would love to try NCL, and Epic's location in Port Canaveral is great, but the bathrooms are a turn-off!

 

 

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